Drive Across China by Car: How to Bring Your Own Vehicle In
The complete checklist — documents, customs declaration, entry deposit, route filing and what happens at the border — for driving your own foreign-plated car into China.
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Guides & News
Practical guides for self-driving in China — papers, costs, camping, tolls and route deep-dives. Updated regularly.
China Road Trip Cost: A Realistic Budget Breakdown
Fuel, tolls, hotels, food and tickets — what a self-drive trip in China actually costs per day and per kilometre, with sample budgets for different routes.
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Best Driving Routes in China: 10 Classic Road Trips
From the G318 highway to the Taklamakan desert roads — the ten routes we recommend most to travellers driving their own cars into China.
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Camping Along China’s Highways: What You Need to Know
Where you can camp legally on a China road trip, what to carry, and how to do it without problems — practical advice from the road.
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G318 Sichuan–Tibet Drive: The Complete Planning Guide
Season timing, key passes, fuel stops and itinerary — everything needed to plan the Chengdu–Lhasa drive properly, including the permits for foreign vehicles.
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Duku Highway: Season, Permits and When to Go
The famous Xinjiang highway is only open part of the year. Here is when it opens, what permits apply, and how to plan the drive without surprises.
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Tibet Self-Drive Tour: Permits Explained
Foreign travellers and foreign vehicles face extra paperwork in Tibet. Here is what each permit is for, and how route filing fits into your plan.
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China Border Highway Routes: G219 and the Northeast Loop
Two very different border drives — the high passes of G219 in the west and the forest-and-river roads of the northeast — and what both demand from your paperwork.
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Qinghai Lake Road Trip: How to Plan the Loop
A step-by-step plan for the Qinghai Lake loop — which shore to drive, where to camp, when the canola blooms, and how to fit Chaka Salt Lake in.
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Western China Road Trip: What to Expect
Altitude, weather, fuel distances, permits and the rhythm of the road — an honest briefing for first-time self-drivers heading into western China.
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First Route After the Border: Mohan to Kunming, Dali and Lijiang
Where do you actually go after customs? A tested first route from Mohan up through Yunnan — distances, overnight stops and the things to see along the way.
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